Who Am I?

Who am I? I am a girl who adores cupcakes and, after twelve years into this spectrum journey, I have proven that in the middle of a melt down, cupcakes WILL make things better :). I think so much more clearly after a big mouthful of yummy goodness.

I am actually a bunch of things mixed together but, mostly, I am a mom of three and a friend who understands how challenging the autism journey can be and that, if we stick together, friends can soften the tough moments. I believe in laughing when you can and looking for the humor in the madness because, truly, there is humor in the madness. It’s all part of the sparkle.

I believe autism is filled with the good and the bad and you have to simply take the good with the bad. There are tough moments and there are sparkles and I try to concentrate on the sparkles. Does that mean there aren’t any dark moments? No, we have our dark days when the frustration reduces me to tears but I try to concentrate on the moments that sparkle because the sparkles have a way of brightening the whole journey.

So, take a seat, relax and pour a cup of warm stuff or some iced goodness…depending on your preference…and sit a while. I think together is a whole lot easier than alone and I am so happy you’re here :).

Oh my goodness, girlie…that is exactly what it is all about. Trying to give moms what I wish I had way back when. I sooo wish I knew back then what I knew now. The journey would have been so different because I would have fretted LESS 🙂

Hey Wisodomfromthesisterhood – I’m a reader of this blog who is ont he spectruma nd i Liek the title, tis alot more poositive midned then all the other nosnense out tthere that I find when Purrusing the web. I found your article on “Superman is Autistic” via a good friend of mien who’s a spectrum parent and one of my best friends. I have always seen the paralells between Superman and having super abilities as compaired to Autism and SPD as they call it. I have synatestehsia myself, and I consider tha ta super power. I was inspired to write an article of my own based on your article, my personal experience, and imput from friends of miena nd it wound up in the circular that goese out 4 timeds a year. THat post inspired me and I hope to continue reading more about your ourney through Autism.

My name is Cindy Facteau, and I am the President-Elect of the Autism Society San Diego. Both of my boys, ages 7 and 17 respectively, are affected by autism, and I am a huge personal fan of your blog.

I was wondering if it might be possible to share a quick blurb and voting link on your blog site for the NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award that my fellow board member Tammy Anderson-Lee has been nominated as one of four finalists for. If she wins, $100,000 will come straight back to our organization to directly help families living with Autism. I’ll share the blurb that I wrote out here:

“One click. One vote. One chance at $100,000 to improve the lives of all affected by autism!!!

Please take a moment to read this post, cast your vote, and share with your friends.

Tammy Anderson-Lee is the founder of Aqua Pros Swim School and the Autism Society San Diego’s Surf Camp for individuals with autism. She’s written a book called “Swimming With Autism,” and has made it her life’s work to teach people with Autism how to swim and navigate water safely. She currently sits as a director at-large on the Autism Society San Diego’s board of directors, and has selflessly given her time and expertise to this organization and our community for years.

As many of you likely know, wandering is very common with individuals who have autism. Many times, they are also attracted to water, and this can be a recipe for tragedy in many cases, particularly when the individual cannot swim. Tammy’s programs are saving lives, and to date, she has taught hundreds of persons affected by autism how to be safe in the water. This is a gift more precious than gold to our community, and Tammy is even more special to us all because she has no direct connection to Autism herself. She’s just a great person with a phenomenal heart and one heck of an inspiring mission. She cares about each of our kids like they are her own…and it shows in the quality of the programs she develops.

Tammy is also a NASCAR fan, and every year, the NASCAR Foundation awards the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award to one NASCAR fan who exemplifies the spirit of the foundation’s philanthropic efforts. If she gets the highest number of votes, she will win $100,000 for the Autism Society San Diego, her chosen grassroots charity.

The Autism Society San Diego is a 501C3 nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all affected by autism. Their entire board is all-volunteer, and they have only one paid employee. This enables the organization to dedicate nearly 100% of donations directly to serving families and individuals through bilingual support groups in multiple locations, family recreation programs, summer camps, information/awareness and support training for local businesses and institutions that service families, grants and scholarships, and many other opportunities that families would otherwise not have access to.

Voting is open until December 4th, and you can vote daily. Tammy is the only finalist who represents an autism organization, so we ask all of our friends and fans to please…vote for Tammy using the link below. Share with your social networks (copy and paste this description to share with the link), and vote daily. Thank you so much in advance for your support! For more information about the Autism Society San Diego and the inspiring work they’re doing to make the world a better place for those affected by autism, please check out their website at http://www.autismsocietysandiego.org

I don’t know whether you ever entertain requests like this, but I’m approaching several of my absolute favorite blog sites to see whether they’ll help us. We will share any mention of Tammy directly through all of our social media platforms, so we will definitely make sure your blog gets that traffic. I’m a volunteer board member like everyone else, so I am not a formal PR type person…I’m kind of winging it! Both of my boys have attended Tammy’s Surf Camp this past summer…she and her staff do things NOBODY does! They get our kids and understand how deadly wandering and drowning can be. Since no other autism organization has a dog in this race, I figured it might be nice to reach out nationally and ask for votes. Last year’s winner got 138,000 votes. Since voting can happen daily, I think we really have a shot. I’d love to see our adaptive swim lessons open up (we currently have an almost 2 year waiting list because of demand…this money would let us expand the program beyond our wildest dreams!). Tammy is planning on using part of the award (if she wins) to travel across the country and teach others how to adapt swim programs for autism. She’s the Autism Water Whisperer… I love her and what she does so much!

Anyway, I didn’t want to bother you, as I know you’re probably busy, but I figured I would reach out and see if you would be interested. We have a formal press release if you would be interested in that instead. Basically, we are doing whatever we can to spread the word, raise awareness about our programs, and get people to vote. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to ask! Thank you so much in advance, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.